


words like lasers

by MiniNephthys



Category: Witch's Heart (Video Game)
Genre: Bonus Stage Spoilers, Fluff, M/M, Truth Spells
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-27
Updated: 2018-09-27
Packaged: 2019-07-18 09:20:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16115462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniNephthys/pseuds/MiniNephthys
Summary: Ashe is cursed to only tell the truth.  Noel brings him dinner.





	words like lasers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [imitationflower](https://archiveofourown.org/users/imitationflower/gifts).



> I dedicate this to Jackie and our mutual Noel/Ashe needs.

Ashe not coming to dinner is unusual. Though Noel can’t make much comment without sounding like a hypocrite, Claire had mentioned that he hadn’t been out for breakfast or lunch either. She’d knocked on his door and gotten shouted at to leave for her trouble, so at least she knew he was alive, but Ashe yelling at people brought up an entirely different concern.

“…Hey, Noel, he looked after you when you were sick, right? So if you go to check on him he might not get as mad! Please? Pretty please?”

Noel has never been able to deny Claire anything, especially if she said ‘please’. And truth be told, he’s worried, too.

When he knocks on Ashe’s door, there’s no immediate answer. However, when he calls out, “Ashe, are you in here?” the response comes back immediately.

“Yes. Please kindly leave me alone.”

At least he isn’t dead and he’s well enough to respond. Noel will count those as good signs. “Can I bring you something from dinner?”

“Not unless you break the door down or pick the lock, I would think!”

Overly literal response. Hm. Noel corrects his phrasing: “If I bring you some food, will you open the door?”

“Yes?” Ashe sounds bewildered by his own answer.

Noel has a suspicion of what’s wrong, but it won’t do any good to voice it now. “I’ll be right back.”

He returns to the kitchen to heat some of the leftovers from dinner - Claire’s cooking, he knows nothing he makes himself will be worth consuming - then puts some attractively on a plate and heads back to the guest hallway. “Ashe, I’m back with dinner.”

It takes a minute, but eventually the door opens. Ashe looks… perfectly fine, actually. His expression is less chipper than usual, but otherwise everything appears normal.

Noel lets himself in, and sets the plate on the table. “It’s Claire’s cooking, I promise it’s delicious. And that I didn’t make any of it.”

“I could tell.” Ashe frowns. “What I mean to say is I’m sure it’s been tested - I mean, erm…”

Noel can only let him fumble for words for a few seconds before he cuts that short. “Honesty curses are terrible, aren’t they?”

“They’re awful and I despise them,” Ashe responds, with an expression quite a bit grumpier than Noel usually sees on him. It quickly turns into something more neutral. “…Ah, but may I ask how you knew?”

“Forgive me for saying this, but… you don’t usually answer questions so directly, or literally.” Not without at least a little meandering first. “And you look perfectly fine, so. I guessed?”

Ashe puffs out a sigh. “Now you know my secret. That’s very dangerous to me, so I hope you’ll use this knowledge wisely!”

Ah. That’s right, he should use any advantage he can get to protect Claire. This would be a perfect opportunity to gain information about what Ashe intends to do here. And it wouldn’t even kill him.

“…If I asked you something you didn’t want to reveal,” Noel says, “probably on accident, what would you do?”

“Kill you,” Ashe says. His eyes go wide. “Erm, that is - I wouldn’t - it was just-”

So no matter what he does, he can’t say he wouldn’t kill Noel or that he was joking. That’s a dangerous curse: Ashe was right to hole up in his room.

Noel could probably ask one question and escape before Ashe could kill him. It might be worth it: it might be everything. He could ask why Ashe came to the mansion, what his wish is, his weakness… It’s probably the right thing to do, strategically. But Noel can’t take advantage of Ashe’s weakened state like that, not when Ashe willingly allowed him in.

“Don’t worry.” Noel smiles, hoping to be reassuring but probably not managing it. “The worst I’d ask is if there’s anyone here you like.”

“You.”

Both of them freeze. Noel has to take a second to process before he goes red; Ashe moves his mouth, but only choked off sounds emerge rather than words.

Noel should leave. He didn’t even intend for that to be an actual question. He should bid Ashe goodnight and hope for the curse to wear off soon. But his mouth moves before he can think: “Why?”

“You’re cute and sweet and incredibly handsome and you make me feel things I haven’t felt for years and I _hate this stupid curse_.” After his curse-invoked sentence, Ashe covers his mouth with his hands, as if that would save him from further honesty.

Every word that leaves Ashe’s mouth just makes Noel turn more and more red, until he finally squeaks, “I-it’s a terrible curse and I should let you work it out by yourself, goodnight Ashe, I’ll see you tomorrow!”

He’s out the door before he can hear Ashe’s answer.

He really should have just asked about Ashe’s wish in the first place. It might have gotten him killed, but it wouldn’t have made his heart pound like this.


End file.
